Claire is ecstatic to surprise her fiancé, Noah, with a special lunch at his office—it is their anniversary, after all. But when the receptionist insists that no one by that name works there, Claire is convinced there must be some mistake.

Her calls go unanswered. Her texts are ignored. And soon, she uncovers a devastating truth: Noah has an entirely different life—one with a gorgeous girlfriend, a stunning home, and no sign of the future they had planned together.

Determined to confront him and reclaim what was supposed to be hers, Claire spirals into an obsession that pulls her deeper into the shadows of her past—a past shaped by a manipulative mother who distorted her reality and shattered her sense of self.

I absolutely devoured this book! It’s a fast-paced, suspenseful read that kept me hooked from start to finish. Each chapter left me eager to see what would unfold next. Kazumi masterfully weaves Claire’s diary entries into the narrative at just the right moments, heightening the tension between past and present. And that ending—wow! The novel raises thought-provoking questions about mental illness and whether anyone can ever truly outrun their past.

I’ll be sharing my full review on Goodreads and Amazon in early March 2025.

Many thanks to Callie Kazumi, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam, and NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Be sure to grab a copy when it hits shelves on March 11, 2025!

Trigger warnings: bullying, ghosting, breakups, abuse, murder.

Callie Kazumi delivers a twisted, psychological debut with Claire, Darling, a novel that keeps readers questioning everything from start to finish. The story follows Claire, a woman who believes she’s in a loving relationship—until she discovers that her fiancé, Noah, has an entirely different life, one that doesn’t include her. What begins as a search for answers spirals into a dark and unsettling journey where obsession, past trauma, and reality itself blur beyond recognition.

Claire is the epitome of an unreliable narrator, making every twist feel unpredictable. Her desperation is palpable, her actions unsettling, and her downward spiral gripping to watch. Kazumi does a great job of immersing the reader in Claire’s fractured mindset, layering in childhood trauma and a manipulative mother that have shaped her into someone who isn’t sure what’s real.

The writing is sharp, the tension constant, but at times, the novel leans so heavily into Claire’s unreliability that the plot feels murky. Some moments could have used more grounding, especially as the story builds toward its climax. While this adds to the novel’s eerie, fever-dream quality, it occasionally makes it difficult to fully connect with Claire beyond her unraveling.

Claire, Darling is an engrossing debut that showcases Kazumi’s talent for psychological suspense. Fans of deeply unreliable narrators and stories where reality is constantly shifting will find plenty to love here, even if the novel’s ambiguity won’t be for everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advanced copy of this unique suspense book.
The book centers on Claire, who decides to visit and drop off lunch to her fiancé's office and is informed he hasn't worked there in months. She tries to find him and figure out what has happened and discovers he is essentially ghosting her. As she attempts to track him down through his routine, social media, and those around him, things begin to unravel.
It's hard to fully describe the book without giving too much of the plot away.
The story goes back and forth between the present time, her diary entries, and her abusive relationship growing up with her single mother.
The mystery of why her fiancé is no longer interacting with her is intriguing. You're both concerned for Claire and also stressed how she is making the situation worse.
If you are looking for a creative suspense book, this is an interesting and original one.

Wow - I really enjoyed this! The book is basically written in two halves. The first - the mystery is set up. The second is the legal case. I enjoyed both parts! Even when I thought I had figured out the twist, there was more to the story that I was not expecting!

I can’t believe this was a debut! There were so many twists and turns that kept me second guessing everything. I thought I knew what would happen next but there were moments I never expected and the ending shocked me. This book was very well written and kept me engaged from start to finish. I will say that I noticed various grammar errors and I’m sure with further editing this will be fixed before publishing. Both Claire and Noah aren’t likable characters but the first half of the book we see Claire as more unhinged and then as the story goes on the reader finds out about her upbringing dealing with an abusive mother. Once you read her diary entries you really feel like this is the true definition of a psychological thriller. The chapters were quick to get through and the writing style makes it easy for readers to get drawn in to the story. I will be on the lookout for future books written by this author since this was an excellent debut. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review and feedback.

Claire is living the dream. She has a wonderful relationship with Noah: they’ve been together for a year, and now they are engaged. While they save up to buy a house, they live in her small London apartment; she loves her new job in PR that Noah encouraged her to apply for. Claire has overcome a particularly difficult background tormented by bullying classmates (and even her own unstable mother at times). One day she decides to surprise Noah at work with takeout lunch, but when she arrives there, the building receptionist says Noah hasn’t worked there for a long time. Then she can’t reach him on the phone. Her work friend Sukhi discovers Noah has a social media profile that Claire is blocked from, and Claire begins to spiral. Why did Noah block her? Why don’t his colleagues know who she is? She doesn’t exactly know what he does at the office. Why would some people say such awful things about her?
Digging into Noah’s online life, she finds evidence that he’s been seeing another woman, so she begins to investigate her, even visiting her office. When she finds a home address, she goes there to see what she can learn. She’s shocked at the swanky neighborhood the other woman lives in. Unable to help herself, Claire visits again, and knocks on the door when she sees Noah leave the house. She confronts Lilah, tearfully asking why she’s stolen the love of her life. They argue, and suddenly, Lilah is on the floor, surrounded by blood, dead. The police don’t believe Claire’s account, and she is charged with murder and put on trial.
What a page-turner! Kazumi’s debut is riveting. Enjoy! Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

4 stars

Wow! I cannot believe this is a debut, and you can’t change my minds. This was a thrill ride from beginning to end. Quite an unputdownable book. And I seriously cannot wait to see what Kazumi brings us next!

Yes, Claire Darling, this is how you write a debut novel! This was such a fast paced read that could easily be read in one sitting (darn norovirus for slowing me down) I did not want to stop reading until I knew the ending. Claire is engaged to, Noah, the man of her dreams, but when she drops lunch off to him she is surprised when she finds out he no longer works there. Now Noah will not answer any of her calls of texts. What is going on? This story grabbed me from the beginning and I am still picking my jaw up off the grab from that ending. Do not sit on this one. I would definitely recommend. Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

Claire, Claire, Claire, Claire. Sometimes....SOMETIMES, things are just too good to be true.

Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi is a psychological thriller about a woman scored. Claire is in love with Noah. They are engaged and live together in a small flat while their dream house is renovated. Noah has helped Claire in many, many ways. She's a new job, she's dealing with her negative feelings about her past, she's no longer a virgin....

One day after their one-year anniversary, Claire and her co-worker/friend Sukhi go to Noah's office to drop off lunch. Except Noah no longer works there, and he hasn't in months. Claire frantically tries to contact Noah, but he doesn't respond. She is devastated.

With Sukhi's help, Claire accesses Noah's social media profiles and finds that Noah isn't the man she thought. He's in photos with people she's never met, and his arms are wrapped around a woman who isn't Claire. Who is Noah, and why has he ghosted Claire?

All the while, we, the reader, have access to Claire's diary. From her life with Noah to her past childhood trauma, we learn more and more about dear Claire.

When a tragedy occurs, the truth starts to unravel, and maybe Claire doesn't like the explanation of why Noah left.
---
Callie Kazumi has written a banger of a debut with Claire, Darling. Claire is a prime example of an unreliable narrator, and that's what makes this story so great.

I could not stop reading this one and highly recommend it to anyone who needs a quick-paced thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

Callie Kazumi’s Claire, Darling is a gripping psychological thriller that showcases superb writing and a knack for building tension. From the very first page, I was hooked, unable to put the book down as Claire's desperate quest for answers unraveled. The characters were fascinating and deeply flawed, and I was captivated by the way Kazumi explored Claire's inner turmoil and her haunting past.

That said, I was hoping for more depth in the narrative arc. The story leaned heavily into the familiar "the woman is insane" trope, which felt predictable and overused. I wanted Claire’s perspective to ultimately be validated in a way that forced readers to confront their own biases—perhaps even to realize that we had been manipulated by Noah’s lies, reflecting our internalized misogyny. Instead, the conclusion landed exactly where I expected, leaving me longing for a more subversive or nuanced take.

Still, Kazumi's prose and pacing make Claire, Darling an engrossing read. If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller with complex characters, this book will certainly deliver, even if it treads familiar ground.

This was such a great book! Makes you think about if you know someone or not. It was a page turner for sure. I hope to read more from Callie.

Great debut novel for Callie Kazumi! Trying to surprise her fiance at work with lunch, Claire discovers he no longer works there and hasn't for some time. Is her fiance living a double life she is unaware of? Who can you believe? The ending will blow you away!

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing- Bantam, and Callie Kazumi for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date for Claire, Darling is March 11, 2025

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
"Claire, Darling" by Callie Kazumi was an unique story that was part mystery & part psychological thriller. There were many twists & turns that I never saw coming & the ending was so unexpected.
This was a solid debut & I can't wait to read what Ms. Kazumi decides to write next.
I highly recommend this book.

Claire, Darling is one of the most physiologically twisted books I've ever read.
I was blown away by the protagonist, Claire, and her mentally twisted mind.
Never did I guess the ending, and I'm usually great at figuring out things out.
Callie Kazumi is brilliant with the unbelievable Claire, Darling. I can't wait to read more from her.
#ClaireDarling
#CallieKazumi
#RandomHouse
#NetGalley

Oh Claire, bless your heart. We start with a dead body and then we find out how we got there. When Claire decides to take her fiancée lunch, it turns her world upside down when she discovers he no longer works there. As she tries to find out answers, she realizes he’s living a whole separate life and she has essentially been ghosted. The first half of the book is Claire spiraling and the second half is a trial where the reader starts to find answers. Interspersed are diary entries and anecdotes about Claire’s childhood with her abusive mother. A little slow at some points, but overall a good psychological thriller.

This was a solid debut and I will look forward to more books from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy and a chance to read this early. All opinions are my own.

This is a very enjoyable debut novel, and I cannot wait to read more from this author in the future. This was a twisty tale and a super quick read. If you are looking for a book to get you out of your reading slump, this is the way to go. Buy this one on publication day. The characters were well developed, and you would find yourself not wanting to put the book down, because it felt like you were also Claire's friend and wanted to know more about this the 'man of her dreams". Enjoyed this a ton. Thanks NetGalley.

Claire, Darling presents a compelling premise right from the start. Claire is determined to surprise her fiancé Noah on their anniversary, only to discover he doesn't even work at his supposed job. The initial setup hooks you, promising a journey filled with suspense and emotional depth. As Claire grapples with the shock of Noah's betrayal, the narrative delves into her past, particularly her tumultuous relationship with her manipulative mother.

However, there are times when the pacing feels off, especially in the second half of the book, where the story lingers too long on Claire's internal struggles without much forward momentum. The plot sometimes dips into predictable territory, with twists that, while engaging, felt somewhat routine.

Overall, Claire, Darling is an intriguing exploration of love, betrayal, and the search for identity. It has its strengths in character exploration but some weaknesses in pacing and predictability.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars for me.

#ClaireDarling #NetGalley @atrandom

A young woman grows up under narcissistic parenting. She is Unaware of her own distorted thinking and ends up facing a trial for murder.

Wow!!! This is a debut novel that will knock your socks off. Callie Kazumi. I can't wait for you to write more. The ending of this book might lead to another making this a series, not sure but maybe? I can't say anything about the storyline because it would give too much away but I will say that the book started me thinking one way and then by the end of the book I was 180 degrees thinking in a different direction. Thinking back on some of the things that happened I guess I should have understood more of what was to come but it is so well written that you just focus on the storyline. If I were to reread it I would know what to look for and maybe see more but what fun is that? I loved this book! Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

𝘊𝘓𝘈𝘐𝘙𝘌,𝘋𝘈𝘙𝘓𝘐𝘕𝘎
𝘉𝘠 𝘊𝘈𝘓𝘓𝘐𝘌 𝘒𝘈𝘡𝘜𝘔𝘐
𝘙𝘌𝘓𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘌 𝘋𝘈𝘛𝘌 03/11/2025

#clairedarling #calliekazumi #randomhouse #bantambooks #netgalleyreviewer #netgalley #debutauthor2025 #debutthriller #cuckoo🐥#crazyasafootballbat #thrillmemore

Prepare for a thrilling ride with Claire, a young woman whose life is a rollercoaster of heartache and surprises! Haunted by the shadows of her past, Claire emerged from a tumultuous childhood raised by a mother battling bipolar disorder, narcissism, and alcoholism. Now, she’s determined to forge her destiny.

Just when she thinks life is looking up, Claire gets engaged to Noah, the man of her dreams. But post-anniversary bliss takes a shocking turn when Noah leaves for work one fateful day. Driven by love, Claire surprises him with a lunch visit, only to stumble upon a staggering truth: Noah's life is not what he claims. He doesn’t work where he says he does, avoids her calls, mysteriously goes missing, and vanishes from social media—how could this be happening?!

As Claire embarks on a desperate quest to find Noah, she prepares to uncover secrets that will unravel their very world. Buckle up; things are about to get intense! Will Claire's resolve be enough to face the storm that awaits? All hell is about to break loose!